“You may not have caused your problems, but you still have to solve them.”

“I didn’t want herpes to become my identity, but I also couldn’t ignore how much it changed me.”

He was brave, she was bold, they are now together.

“The more you do a thing, the better you get at it.”

Rachel found SPFPP through her therapist after being diagnosed with herpes. We dive into what it means to reject yourself before anyone else has a chance to, and how showing up—even scared—is a practice of reclaiming your identity.

You’ll hear reflections on therapy, disclosure, dating, and the role community plays in softening the edges of shame. If you’re navigating herpes stigma or want to know how to support someone who is, this conversation offers both insight and real-life validation.

This community historically ran off the engagement of Instagram, and now Instagram is not helping us anymore at all, so now I’m calling in favors from the community to help us get podcast Guests, opportunities, grants, donations, and speaking engagements.

It’s important to remember why we started this podcast in the first place. People with herpes having suicide Ideation.

Closed mouths don’t get fed—and when it comes to herpes, rejection, and sex, silence only makes the stigma louder. In this episode, Goddess Bats and I get curious about everything from disclosing at sex parties to why rejection happens differently from men versus women.

I’m letting go in this one ya’ll. I’ve been clinging tight to things that I’ve not wanted anyone to see, and I recognize what makes SPFPP what it is is my ability to be present. I can’t do that if I’m holding on to insecurities, fear, and trying to maintain some sense of control over this perception of me that is really just me hiding. This one is long but necessary.

"Everything can be a spiritual experience for me… but it’s hard to just be with it. To not label it or control how it’s received. This episode is me choosing to show up messy—and trusting that’s enough."

“I don’t miss my ex. I miss my homie.”

“So much of masculinity is about what you do. But queerness has taught me how to just be—and to be seen. I’ve found more of myself in queer spaces than I ever did performing manhood in the ones I was told I belonged to.”

Six years after first presenting the idea of podcasting as psychosocial support for people with herpes, SPFPP returns to STI Engage—this time with a community behind the mic. Recorded live in Phoenix, this episode features a guided meditation on stigma, a real-time support cycle, and reflections on how storytelling became a tool for identity validation and connection.

"The tornado stripped everything away—my home, my sense of stability—and it gave me space. Space to see where I wasn’t in alignment. Space to remember that I’m not here to play it safe. I’m here to orbit my purpose, to hold presence, and to empower people navigating stigma with choice. That’s why I’m moving to New York. Not because it’s easy—but because it’s where my highest self told me to go."

"I’m realizing how much stigma we carry without even knowing it. Like, you say 'homeless,' and people have this picture in their head—but here I am, in this car, no home, no room, just moving from place to place. It’s humbling, and it’s also a reminder of how fast life can shift. Amber’s story too—how she navigates being an educated Black woman in spaces that don’t always feel safe or welcoming... It’s like we’re both just holding presence for each other while we name these stigmas out loud."